"Absolutely not."
Moxy stared dumbstruck as Chloe finished treating the unconscious Buneary before recalling it back to the pokeball. She pocketed the ball and stood up before adjusting her spectacles.
"Well, why not?!" Moxy complained, following Chloe into her ice-cold office.
"We have too much work to do, Moxy. Specifically, you." Chloe said, matter-of-fact and tone like she was done talking about the topic. Chloe sat at her office desk and began writing a report of some sort.
"I can just go if I want to."
"And I can tell Tabitha the truth surrounding your previous demise." Chloe eyed her cautiously.
Moxy grumbled. It was as if she were trapped but not trapped at the same time. The worst feeling imaginable. Rather than yell and throw a temper tantrum, Moxy placed her palms on Chloe's desk.
"Please, Chloe? Haven't I done enough already? Aiden said they need a medic. I really want to help them." Moxy sounded like a toddler asking for a cookie jar on top of a fridge.
"Why would you want to risk your life on an operation? It's much safer here, dear." Chloe continued to work, the scribbling of her pen annoying her.
"I helped you with your missing pokemon dilemma those two weeks ago. This is all I'm asking for."
Chloe's scribbling became a bit slower, her gray eyes like clouds boring through a foggy night.
"Please? I'm really asking for a favor right now…"
Chloe sighed and placed her pen down.
"Fine. Under one condition." Chloe gazed at Moxy, her expression sullen.
"Yes!" Moxy jubilated, maybe a bit too loudly. "Thanks, Chloe. I promise I won't let you-"
"Enough. You can't go yet." Chloe snapped before standing up. She walked over to one of the tables and held up a vial filled to the brim with a glittery, blue liquid.
"Do you recognize this?"
"Er-"
"It's X, dear." Chloe didn't wait for Moxy to speak. "Remember, from that teensy bit of red liquid you brought me?"
Moxy hesitated from the vial's odd coloring before widening her eyes. "Wait… you recreated it?! Chloe, you didn't see what I saw! That Incinaroar went completely nuts! We need to eradicate this drug, not test it!"
However, Chloe sighed. "It's not up to me, dear. Orders come from the top. I've debriefed them about the incident, and the communis wants this mass-produced for all the auxiliarus."
"You mean Leader Maxie? He… wants this drug?"
She nodded. "I need you to inject this into Sylveon."
Moxy waited for her to smirk, to give her some sort of signal that she was making a little joke. Chloe, however, stared at her with those dead tired eyes as if her request was the most normal thing someone could ask.
"The sample you brought me was made using Dragon-type energy, and I fear it will fail to stimulate a fairy-type. I've created a concoction using Ariados venom and Hydreigon DNA. This one should heighten Sylveon's mental capabilities rather than her overall strength."
Moxy felt her whole world spin upon the word 'venom'. "Y…You can't be serious. "
"Do you want to go on this pointless mission or not?"
You're really good at making people feel like they have to help you, Moxy gritted her teeth.
"Have her battle some wild pokemon, and record the results. If you bring it back to me before tomorrow morning, you're free to leave."
Chloe sat back down. Moxy couldn't believe she was asking this of her.
"You really don't want me to go, do you?"
Chloe hesitated for a moment in her writing, as if an inkling of human emotion had resurfaced out of that robotic exterior she called skin. However, she continued to write as if she wasn't fazed.
"I told you my terms. It's up to you if you want to follow through with them."
"Can you guarantee this vial won't fucking kill my pokemon or make her go berserk?!" Moxy raised her voice as if doing so would get through to her.
"There's only a tiny bit of venom, dear. Sylveon should be fine; I did my best to remove the portion of the serum that causes psychosis. I believe she is one of the stronger Fairy-types on the base, which makes her the perfect specimen."
Chloe pushed a stack of papers on her desk towards Moxy.
"Otherwise, here's some work for you. Files on our auxiliarus' pokemon that need to be sorted."
The lava pipes in the office cast a warm, yellow glow on the vial. She couldn't fathom how a tiny thing could be so dangerous. So vile. She understood why; Team Magma's mission was important, so they needed to use everything in their power to succeed.
But it's Sylveon… my Sylveon…
Moxy wrapped her fingers into a fist. If she tightened it just a little more, the vial would shatter into a million pieces, spilling all that liquid on Chloe's office floor. It would be the ultimate 'fuck you', and nothing would make her happier than to take that stack of papers and start sorting them like Chloe asked.
"Are you going to waste my time further or get something done?" Chloe lowered her sharp eyebrows in Moxy's direction. With a huff, Moxy just pocketed the vial and began to leave when Chloe called after her.
"Don't forget the injector! It's on the table by my tools!"
Moxy's arms were crossed inside the ascending elevator. She was still thinking about Chloe's request, her thoughts as unstable as the elevator.
If I do this, something may happen to Sylveon. But if I don't, I'm just going to be stuck on this base forever to help this…
Moxy slammed her fist against the elevator wall. This was Chloe's plan from the start; find something to use against her and rope her into doing whatever she wanted. Moxy wished she were a Scyther because then she'd be able to rip the doctor to paper-thin shreds.
The elevator came to a jerky stop, and soon, she found herself weaving through a crowd of Team Magma grunts in the Hub.
It didn't take long for her to reach the loud and dimly lit armory. There, behind the metal fence, was Lucy. She was rocking her Team Magma tank top, and her tattoed biceps bulged as she worked on a large piece of metal, a blowtorch in hand.
"Hey, Lucy," Moxy called, however, her greeting fell on headphone-covered ears. Lucy was banging her head to the loud music as she worked.
"Lucy!" Moxy had to shake the fence a couple of times before she finally caught her attention.
"Oh! Hey girl!" Lucy showed off that super-white smile, pulling the headphones off her braided blonde hair. "Here for your pokemon?"
Moxy nodded, and Lucy put down her blowtorch.
"In here," she said before opening the caged door on the side for Moxy. Lucy led her to the corner of the dark armory, where a floating pink and blue pokemon was sleeping under a single, yellow lightbulb. Cables ran from the inside of one of the Porygon's legs and into a laptop sitting on a table littered with bullet shells and grease stains.
"Check it." Lucy bent forward and clacked her fingers on the laptop. "I ran a software to fix the glitches in this Porygon. It should respond now, instead of doing that creepy floating thing."
"What if it doesn't work?" Moxy asked, her arms crossed.
"I left some notes in a document on this laptop. It'll teach you how to run a basic diagnosis, and how to fix small malfunctions." Lucy spoke, her hands swift on the keyboard. "If something major happens though, come and talk to me. Prafecti Chloe told me she'll pay for every repair you need for this Porygon."
Moxy was relieved to hear that last sentence. Despite how conniving Chloe was, at least she was paying for her things. After a few seconds, Lucy pushed ENTER on the laptop, and they watched as Porygon beeped to life. Its triangular blocks for feet spun a couple of times before it looked at Moxy and Lucy.
"Say hi!" Lucy nudged Moxy, who was startled to see Porygon gazing at her, this time much more alive.
"BEEP." Porygon sounded with a high-pitched voice, its spiky tail shooting straight up.
"H-hey there, little guy," Moxy said, taking a step towards it. However, Porygon made a harsher beep before zipping further into the corner.
"BEEP BEEP BEEP!" it shuddered, its electronic sounds warbled.
"Dang, it's pretty timid." Lucy scratched her head with a greasy nail. "That'll make it hard to train."
While not too fond of Lucy, Moxy couldn't help agreeing with her. It would be difficult to train a pokemon who would run from an encounter every chance it got.
Or maybe it's scared of me for some reason. She couldn't help thinking. After all, I'll be a monster if I do what Chloe said.
And for releasing the Curser.
Moxy had given a name to the demon that visited her every night. Some nights were torture, others were somewhat peaceful. She tried to make conversation with it, but the Curser wasn't much for talk, she had come to realize. It kept its intentions hidden and only revealed parts of them through ill-written riddles. Every night it asked her to give it someone else's dreams, and every time Moxy said she was working on it. Like she was working on traveling to Route 111 to free it from its cage or whatever.
She was stalling. And sooner or later, the Curser would catch on.
"If you want," Lucy interrupted her thoughts, "I'll buy it off you."
"Not a chance." Moxy turned her down before checking her watch. It was getting late, and if she was going to do this thing with Sylveon, she'd better do it before nightfall.
"Got it. You gotta run." Lucy could tell Moxy was short on time. "Code Magma. Shut down."
"Beeee…" Porygon's voice trailed off deeply as it fell back to sleep.
"What did you just do?" Moxy asked Lucy as she undid the cables attached to Porygon.
"I created a code in its program to make it easier to control it. Just say, 'Code Magma' and a command. There should be a list of them on a sticky note inside the laptop. As for its moves, you need to activate it on the computer before it'll be able to use them."
Is this even humane? Moxy wondered. If this Porygon didn't listen to her, she could just shut it down with a single word. It felt like she was… enslaving it.
"I get it's a bit weird." Lucy could read her thoughts. "If it helps, Porygon is just a robot. Its feelings are nothing more than an artificial replication of emotions."
Unfortunately, that didn't make Moxy feel any better. "Is there anything else I need to know?"
Lucy closed the laptop before leaning against the creaky table. "It's got a built-in Pokedex, translation software, scanning technology. Even a video recorder and projector! This is a top-notch piece of tech, so treat it with care."
While impressed, Moxy didn't like that she called Porygon 'tech'. Lucy offered the laptop, along with a Great ball, to Moxy.
"I would find a bag for that. Those laptops aren't cheap."
"Any chance you'd just give me one for free?" Moxy tried, realizing her asking was rhetorical when Lucy grinned.
"25." Lucy's response was just as steely as her blue eyes. With a sigh, Moxy shoved all the money from her back pocket into Lucy's greasy hand.
The air was musty in the corridor Moxy walked down. Metal doors were plastered against the walls, each with a red-lit number just above. If she focused a bit, she could hear the faint sounds of people talking, pokemon squealing, and other random noises. As she neared her room, her breathing became heavier and heavier, like her body activated some sort of defense mechanism to keep her from getting there.
Finally, she reached her room. She wanted to twist the doorknob, but something kept her from doing it. She remembered the times when her Sylveon was just an Eevee that bounced around and ate cupcakes out of her hand. And then when she evolved, the tables turned. As much as Moxy was her trainer, Sylveon was always there for her. When she lost her friends, Sylveon stayed with her. When she became a thief, Sylveon never judged her. And when Dahlia died, Sylveon cried with her.
A tear rolled down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it. She needed to be strong, like Aiden told her. After composing herself, she entered the room.
The red light from the hall cut through into the darkness. Rather than flick on the bright lights, Moxy opted to press the lamp switch by the bunk bed. As soon as she did, she saw the small form of Sylveon in the corner of Moxy's bed.
Medical wrappings lined her neck. Not even a week ago, Sylveon was covered head to toe in bandages, the result of Incinaraor's attacks. Looking at her now, she wouldn't have believed her pokemon suffered a fractured limb, two broken ribs, and multiple bruises along with a bent ear. She could thank today's medical technology for that. Sylveon's neck, however, needed additional time.
Was it just a more powerful version of Echoed Voice, or… Moxy had mused whether Sylveon was starting to learn the most powerful move in her kit: Hyper Voice. It alone was enough to almost rupture her larynx. Moxy swatted those thoughts away when Sylveon stared at her with those downcast, blue eyes.
"Hey, Sylvie."
Sylveon paid her no attention as she began to lick her paws. Moxy sat down on the edge of the bed and tried to pet her, but she backed her head away.
"Vehhh…" Sylveon's growl was hoarse, and the pokemon's face scrunched in pain.
Ugh, I can't even do this right now, Moxy stood up. She couldn't help but feel everything happening to her right now was deserved.
"How many times do you want me to say sorry, huh?!" Moxy lashed out suddenly. "I fucked up! I know that! But…"
Sylveon began to shiver, whether from fear or pain, Moxy didn't know. Or care.
"We can't keep fighting like this. We're supposed to be partners, right?"
Sylveon only pointed one of her feelers to her neck.
"I didn't- that wasn't part of the plan! I didn't think I was going to have to fight anyone. It was just a one-time thing, it won't happen again."
"Neh!"
Moxy froze as soon as she saw the tears. Sylveon was crying? Before she could even try to soothe her, Sylveon stood up on the bed and began to rant through growls and barks, sobbing the whole time.
"Sylveon, stop! You're going to rupture your throat again! Please!"
However, Sylveon shook in anger, gave off one loud hiss, and jumped off of Moxy's bed before huddling in the dark corner where her bed cushion was.
Moxy had never seen Sylveon do this before. The X was still in her pocket. She wanted to ball up Sylveon, go outside, and make her take it. Just so that she could go and do something she wanted for once in her miserable life.
Instead, Moxy began to cry too. Everything was falling apart. And as much as she wanted to sleep it off, that would definitely not help her.
Put your hand on her head… Moxy remembered the Curser's haunting words. She didn't have to inject Sylveon. She'd just…
No way. I'd never do that to her. She's already suffering so much. Moxy shook her head right before widening her puffy eyes. A sickening, involuntary frown formed on her face.
Not her. But Chloe…
Moxy awoke to the sound of furious knocking on her door.
"Ugh," Moxy slurred half-asleep. "Zee, can you get it?"
No answer. There was another bout of knocking and Sylveon stirred this time.
Shoot, I forgot Zee is at Rustboro, too. Moxy remembered before she stretched her whole body. There wasn't a single ounce of fatigue in her system.
Then it hit her. She'd been… sleeping? Moxy tried to remember what she was dreaming about, but she couldn't. All she knew was that it was probably the best sleep of her life before-
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
"By Arceus, I'm getting up!" Moxy huffed before jumping out and swinging the door wide open.
She was surprised to see Aiden standing there. There was this panicked expression on his face as if the base were burning.
"Jeez, Aiden. You know you could call my name, right?"
"S-Sorry, you weren't answering." He answered with a shiver.
"Look." Moxy scratched her red-haired scalp, her entire body ready to knock out for another twelve hours. "Chloe said I couldn't go. So-"
"It's about Chloe, Moxy, she… she's sick."
Moxy lowered her brows. "Sick?"
Aiden gestured for her to follow. Sighing, Moxy just put on some slippers, not even bothering to change out of her purple Gulpin pajamas. She glanced at Sylveon, who was still sulking in the corner.
"Do you… wanna come with me?" Moxy asked. When Sylveon didn't answer, Moxy just shut the door silently and followed Aiden.
She took the elevator up to the level where the medical ward was located. The entire way there, Aiden looked torn about something. She tried to pick at him for answers, but he said he needed to think.
Sick? She was perfectly fine yesterday, bossing me around and telling me no, Moxy harrumphed as they entered the medical ward.
The first thing Moxy saw was Chloe lying in a cot and the large frame of Tabitha beside her. There was another auxiliarus there, and he held an electronic tablet in his hands that seemed to be reading vitals.
"D-dear…" Chloe whispered.
Holy crap, was all Moxy could think. Chloe was normally a pale woman, but this time she was as white as the walls in the ward.
"Chloe," Moxy started, walking up to her and placing her hand on her shoulder. "What happened?"
"Hah, how ironic… you're the one tending to my sickness-" her voice was cut off when she began a bout of coughing. Chloe was wearing a white v-neck, her red lab coat nowhere to be found. Underneath, the veins in Chloe's chest were dark, and the skin surrounding it a sickly green. Her white hair was frazzled, and she looked a lot less intimidating with her glasses off.
"We don't know how to diagnose this," Tabitha spoke up. He was crossing his arms, his face twisted in worry.
"But you were completely fine yesterday!" Moxy pointed out. "You-"
She widened her eyes and then looked down at her hand.
Oh… oh no… it couldn't be…
She swallowed hard when Chloe noticed her hesitation.
"Moxy, what's wrong?"
"W-what? N-nothing, I… I'm scared Chloe… I…"
"This is bad." Tabitha shook his head. "Since you're out of commission, I assume you won't be joining Quinn in Rustboro. Do you have anyone else in mind who can take your position?"
"Her," Chloe announced, and everyone turned to look at Moxy. "She's the only person on my team who has an efficiency rating over 70%."
Moxy should have been happy. She was finally going on a real mission. No more paperwork, stupid errands, or data analysis on pokemon. She was practically itching to get into the action. Her heart wanted to leap out of her chest and travel west. It was almost as if her entire purpose for joining Team Magma was finally calling her. She didn't know why, and she didn't care why.
She just had to leave.
Tabitha sized Moxy up. "Hyun, if you are recommending her, Chloe, then I see no reason not to say otherwise. Especially after her success with Mr. Striker. Will you travel to Rustboro with Aiden and help us on this important mission, Moxy?"
"I won't let you down, sir!" Moxy was stern in answering. She wanted to be happy, but her mind was against the fact she'd unleashed the Curser on her boss. The means didn't justify the results.
"Well then, I must be going," Tabitha said. "If you need anything, Chloe, I'll have auxiliarus Beverly and Vance attend you."
"I'll be waiting at the docking bay for you," Aiden whispered to Moxy before following Tabitha out.
The only sounds now were the beeping of the EKG monitor and the auxiliarus tapping away at the tablet. Even Chloe's AC was turned off, which Moxy found odd before realizing Chloe probably couldn't handle the cold in her state.
"Did you do what I asked you to, Moxy?" Chloe broke the silence. She was staring at her weakly with her small eyes.
"I'm going to catch a Fairy-type in Rustboro. That way I don't have to use Sylveon." The answer was short and sweet. Of course, whatever Chloe had to say about it wouldn't change anything.
"…Right. Be safe out there, dear," Chloe whispered glumly before closing her eyes in the cot.
Moxy turned around and began to leave. She took one more glance at Chloe's fragile form, and her fist balled in rage.
I'm sorry… but you gave me no choice!
A/N: Hi guys! I worked through the night to make sure I can bring you this lovely chapter! I am excited to share the rest of Episode 5 with you all soon, there should be weekly updates (hopefully, I'm sure everyone is aware I take a really long time to update this fic. Life and work get in the way, I swear I'm trying my best). As always, your patience is appreciated as I do my duty to kink out any errors to bring you a quality piece. Until then, feel free to let me know your thoughts about our conflicted protagonist who may or may not be up to no good in the future.
Cheers!